As the author says, this is an experiment I've seen done numerous times in the past... but never done myself. I remember my high school physics instructor doing something like this but with much more wire... still, 6' of wire did have an effect.

Also, the author points out that stranded wire doesn't give you the same results as solid core... I used some duct tape to secure my coils as I built each level and then wrapped the entire thing in a blanket of tape as you can see in the pictures and video.

The magnetism wasn't strong, but it was there... and noticeable. While doing this, I had a strange recall of something else I learned way back when... if you take your right hand and make the hitchhiking gesture, notice the direction of your thumb and the direction of the curl of your fingers... if the current is flowing in the direction the thumb is pointing, the magnetic field curves in the direction of the fingers. I'm trying to get my mind around how this can help me with this experiment... maybe it's not relevant. Who knows...?


So, Experiment 25 - fast and easy. Just give yourself some time to wind that wire... and trust me, holding a 1.5v battery to the ends of the wire won't shock you... but it heats up FAST! I wore a glove the second time around... I could have used alligator clips, but this was more fun...

Sorry for the lack of sound - got a new camera and for some reason I couldn't get the sound to work when I downloaded it to my video editing software - definitely need to read that manual!

UPDATE: Figured out my issue with my new camera - sound is working now on the video below.